


Overkill

by apathyinreverie



Series: Tripping over tombstones [9]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: BAMF Klaus Hargreeves, Gen, Post-Canon, Protective Klaus Hargreeves, Siblings, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-05-19 06:41:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19351555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apathyinreverie/pseuds/apathyinreverie
Summary: The day Ben gets injured during a mission is the day they all realize that they've never actually seen Klaus get angry before.Well, at least until now, that is.And as the very earth trembles beneath the feet of the army of ghostly dead rising at his brother’s command, Diego can’t help but think that he really could have done entirely without this particular epiphany.





	Overkill

Ever since they were children – actual children that is, not just adults stuck in their kid bodies – Klaus has always been the most emotional out of the seven of them.

It always seemed like he didn’t even attempt to rein in his emotions, apparently just fine with being emotionally open, emotionally vulnerable, seemingly unbothered by always being all over the place.

His brother's openness, his unguardedness, has also always made Diego a little nervous, twitchy, side-eyeing anyone who came closer, worried they might take advantage of Klaus' obvious vulnerability, only more so when they got older.

Because even as an adult, Klaus just didn’t change all that much, seemingly unwilling to exert any sort of control over his emotions or put up shields to protect himself, always loud and colorful and bright, seeming to constantly wear all of his emotions on his sleeve, everything about him just out there for the world to see.

Klaus and restraint simply don’t seem to go together.

It's just one of those things they _know_ about Klaus, something Diego and the rest of his siblings never even questioned. And maybe that very fact should have been Diego’s first clue.

Because ever since traveling back in time to prevent the apocalypse - to save the world, to save themselves, to save each other - it has become more than apparent just how many misunderstandings and false assumptions they have fostered between themselves and about each other over the years. Something which holds especially true where their most eccentric brother is concerned, and just how completely, utterly, _embarrassingly_ wrong they've been about pretty much everything.

Really, at this point, maybe they should all just throw everything they think they know about Klaus out the window and start anew.

And Diego absolutely would, but it’s just that with every new epiphany it always seems like _now_ they finally have their brother figured out.

 _Now_ that they realized that it's not only Klaus who sees ghosts but that the ghosts also very much see _him_ , that they quite literally haunt their brother, seek him out, wail at him, demand he give them what the world no longer can.

 _Now_ that they finally realized that Klaus' drug habit is not weakness or hedonism on his part but simply a symptom of his helplessness, his utter defenselessness against his own powers.

 _Now_ that they realized that no matter where he goes, Klaus sees desperate, lonely, bloodied ghosts wherever he looks, whether they be simply grieving or just confused or out for revenge, but never a positive emotion in sight.

Diego has only seen Klaus actively use his powers to produce ghosts a few times now, but even with those few instances he still can't quite get the images out of his head now, unable to forget those bloody, torn-apart figures lingering in every shadow, silent at best and hauntingly wailing for attention at worst.

And Diego used to look at Klaus and feel condescension, even derision for his brother's weakness - without ever bothering to ask himself just what might have made his brother capitulate to the drugs in the first place - and now he can't help but wonder Klaus' strength for managing to stay around at all, for not just entirely giving in.

And he can’t help but think of Klaus as a child, when they were just thirteen and their father decided to take all of their training to the next level. What must it have been like for Klaus? Those images everywhere, no reprieve, his powers only ever growing stronger. And not a single person in his family sparing him so much as a thought, much less their sympathy.

It makes Diego clench his fist in anger at himself, at his own stupidity, his ignorance and self-absorption.

But point is, they _know_ about those things now and thus Diego had thought he had finally gotten over his self-centered arrogance regarding his brother, had finally put his preconceived notions aside. But somehow, he is still utterly surprised to find that one of his central things he thought he knew about Klaus, the assumption that Klaus wears his heart on his sleeve, that he is the most emotionally unstable – the one with the most erratic temper, the one who wouldn’t even know how to keep his emotions in check – is yet another thing he was completely, entirely, _idiotically_ wrong about.

And as it always seems to be the case with those rather brutal epiphanies about his brother, he doesn’t realize his mistake until he is effectively smacked in the face with it.

Because then comes the day Ben gets injured during a mission.

Someone lays a trap for them all, pinning them down in an abandoned warehouse. And in the ensuing fight, two gunmen specifically target the Horror, a shot grazing Ben’s shoulder distracting him long enough for the second to aim a tazer gun right at his stomach, right where the portal keeping the eldritch creatures at bay lies, and the shock of the voltage leaves their brother desperately fighting for control over those monsters that will immediately rip them all – including Ben – apart, if given the chance.

It's clearly pre-planned, possibly the entire reason behind the trap they found themselves in, a concerted, directed attack on the Horror, on Ben.

And Klaus quite simply loses it, completely loses the apparently excellent grip he normally has on himself and his emotions.

It’s the day all of them realize they have never Klaus actually get angry before, a fact that has somehow escaped them until now, always too distracted by their brother’s colorful front, none of them ever wondering why – despite the life he lived and is still living – they have never actually seen him exhibit any truly negative emotions at all, nothing beyond his self-deprecating anxiety or humorous melancholy.

They _should_ have noticed before. But somehow, it’s just something else they all missed.

+++

It was supposed to be yet simple, run-off-the-mill, destroy-yet-another-crazy-scientist’s-lab mission. So, simple in fact that they even decided to take Vanya along, thinking they wouldn't have to worry about her still less-than-reliable control over her powers under stress.

However, as soon as they got to the old warehouse where that crazy scientist had supposedly set up camp, things pretty much immediately took a turn for the worse as they were instead met with a seemingly countless number of gunmen. And now they are stuck, pinned down behind two separate elongated counters off on one side of the warehouse, the supposedly simple mission turning out to be a rather cleverly laid trap instead.

Add to that the fact that the gunmen pinning them down are all wearing some sort of ear muffs, rendering Allison’s power absolutely useless right from the start, Vanya having removed herself from the situation pretty much right from the start lest she lose her still rather tentative grip on her powers as she still tends to do under stress.

Then there is Klaus whose powers – as diligently as he may have been training ever since they went back in time – really aren’t all that suited for battle, seeing as not like all dead people also conveniently have a superpower like when he made Ben appear during that fight in the future. And making three grandmas appear in the middle of the room barely serves to startle one of the goons enough to make it a little easier for Diego to take him out.

Even Five’s powers are out at this point, already having pushed himself past what he generally prefers doing, after a good forty or fifty jumps around the room - to take out those gunmen with the most advantageous and most dangerous hiding spots - now panting in exertion, a slight sheen of sweat covering his skin.

Which however means they are currently down to just three superpowered fighters, namely Diego, Ben and Luther.

Well, at some point Five got hold of a sniper rifle, which definitely counts as a fourth fighter, seeing as his bullets rarely miss their target. And to everyone’s surprise, Klaus with a semi-automatic is apparently nothing to scoff at either.

And with two of his brothers covering long-distance, that only leaves close-up defense to Diego with his knives and Luther impersonating a brick-wall only a few steps to his right, putting down any goons who try their luck in coming closer to their cover.

Although, as much as the rest of them may try, the most damage is as always being done by the Horror, tentacles slicing through the air above and around them, tearing apart hiding places and gunmen alike, creating enough chaos to also serve as more than sufficient cover for the rest of them.

They’ve been at it for a while now and Diego has just entirely lost count of how many goons they must have taken out at this point, but there are still so many gunmen spread throughout the old warehouse.

There doesn’t seem to be an end to them either.

He snaps up the two knives Luther throws in his direction – the two of them long since having worked out a system which has Luther help refill Diego’s supply of bladed weapons constantly during any of their longer fights – and promptly uses one of the newly supplied knives to take out several goons with one throw, a curved throw slicing through three throats before landing in the chest of a fourth.

And then suddenly, from one moment to the next, everything just goes to hell.

Because Ben loses control of the Horror.

A sudden loud crash, jarring despite the chaos currently surrounding them, as one of the humongous, floor-to-ceiling warehouse shelves topples over, being torn down by his brother’s tentacles slamming into it, making it collapse in on itself.

Diego immediately seeks cover before watching wide-eyed as something almost like a spasm seems to run through the tentacles that had been slicing through the air above them just moments before, making them twitch, clearly without any sort of control crashing into the ceiling, the walls, toppling shelves, smashing through windows. Almost like they are fighting against Ben’s control over them.

Something clenches in his chest in fear.

He has never seen Ben lose control before. His brother always absolutely, _uncompromisingly_ refuses to let the monsters loose unless he is certain he has them under complete control.

But then, _somehow_ , things get worse.

Someone is yelling. It’s coming from where most of their siblings have gathered behind the second counter a couple of steps behind them.

It’s Klaus’s voice. Yelling Ben’s name.

There is fear and desperation and anger in his voice.

A chill works itself down Diego's spine and he sees Luther duck down behind cover a few steps away from him, eyes wide as he glances back at Diego.

The tentacles slumping to the ground, twitching randomly, uncontrollable spasms running through them.

Over the noise still surrounding them from all sides, they hear Klaus’ voice again, exclaiming something else. But this time it's not quite a yell, his voice not quite so full of fear anymore. Instead it is vibrating with utter fury, barely sounding like Klaus at all.

And then, just for a bare instance, the entire world seems to _pause_ somehow.

Everything stilling in unnatural silence, almost like someone pressed pause on a movie. Just for _two, three, four_ seconds, complete silence, no shots being fired, nothing except the sound of Ben’s tentacles convulsing, withdrawing slowly, dragging across the floor, seemingly random spasms running through them.

Another breathless second of silence.

Then.

 _Everything_ shifts.

It’s nothing physical, nothing tangible, nothing even visible. But at the same time, something so very clearly just _changed_. Like the world just took a step sideways, before continuing on, leaving something almost like vertigo in its wake. The knowledge that something just changed is simply instinctual, almost primal, felt in their very bones.

The sudden, bright pulse of blinding blue light coming from behind the other counter, almost makes Diego flinch. A lightning-quick flash of light, flaring through the entire warehouse in a bright wave of blinding light, having him blink away spots.

And in its wake it leaves a hazy glow of blue light throughout the room, a barely there shimmer, like an unnatural, luminescent mist hanging in the air.

Then come the fissures. Cracks that aren't really there, filled with blinding blue light, creeping along the ground, running along the floor, branching endlessly in every direction.

And with every new branch the light shifts upwards, giving form to blue-glowing figures.

The spirits of the dead step into the world of the living.

But unlike whenever he has seen Klaus’ powers in action before, this time it’s not just one or two ghosts gaining physical form, or even a handful like the few times Klaus really tried to stretch his powers.

No, this time, the blindingly bright fissures run along the floor and with every branch another spirit seems to take form, quickly filling the room with far-too-realistic-but-clearly-otherworldly-figures, some just randomly distributed around the room, but most already clustered around the goons hiding behind shelves and machinery and any other sort of cover scattered throughout the room.  

Their number just keeps growing and growing and ever-growing. Within moments, there are twenty, fifty, a hundred. More and more ghosts take their chance to step into the world of the living.

It takes the ghosts several moments to fully form, before their features become clear.

And Diego’s very breath freezes in his lungs.

Because while they look exactly like any other ghosts Klaus has called into the world of the living before – normal people, wearing normal clothes, mortal wounds filled with bright blue light instead of blood – these ghosts are also very clearly, noticeably different. Instead of aimlessly wandering, indifferent gazes, the faces of the spirits currently stepping into the world of the living are _angry_. Their faces twisted in fury, eyes alight with desperate, bone-chilling wrath.

Any spirits Klaus usually brings forth – not counting those wraiths that only ever manifest against Klaus’ will – are just _there_ , aimlessly present, maybe a little desperate for acknowledgement, some even begging for help in bringing their various killers to justice. But every single spirit his brother has ever _purposely_ brought into the visible world had seemed utterly harmless.

Until this very moment, Diego had stupidly assumed that spirits simply _are_ like that. Has never even so much as considered anything else to be a possibility.

And Diego would think about how truly idiotic it was of him to never ask himself whether the reason that any spirits his brother produces always seem to be benevolent little buggers might actually be more due to Klaus’ nature than that of spirits in general.

Would call himself all kinds of a moron for never even considering whether there might be some sort of correlation between Klaus’ emotions and the sort of ghosts he calls forth at any given time, whether his mood might have an effect on his powers or even the spirits he calls forth.

Because if Diego had ever thought to ask himself that question, he might have also considered just what that would mean if Klaus ever used his powers while fueled by wrath instead of his usual seeming nonchalance.

Diego _would_ think about all that. If only he could breathe right. If only it didn’t feel like the very air is frozen, numbingly cold stillness surrounding them.

It feels like death has come to visit.

Diego watches, frozen in place as the fissures along the ground widen, spreading further, growing ever closer.

A familiar sound, and Five appears in front of him, eyes wide as he reaches for Diego. And as his brother’s hand lands on Diego’s shoulder, he can’t help but think that this is the first time since Five returned to them that he has seen his brother look truly shocked.

A blink and they reappear behind Klaus, away from the ever-spreading fissures widening in front of their brother.

Diego scuttles a little further backwards towards where his siblings are already clustered together.

And from there they watch. Watch as the dead step into the world of the living, bloody, torn-apart figures, blue light bright in their deadly wounds, features twisted, primal fury in their eyes, honing in on the gunmen as soon as they gain physical form, some of them clearly having some sort of personal beef with the goons.

The dead being returned to walk amongst the living for a few moments, taking out their anger, their desperate fury on those who took their life, ghostly hands tearing at them.

And in the middle of it all, there is Klaus. Standing protectively in front of them, in front of an injured Ben as Vanya tries to help Ben stem the flow of blood of the gunshot wound in his shoulder, Ben himself clutching at his stomach, his face contorted into a grimace as he clearly struggles for control over the creatures living under his skin.

Klaus, who himself seems to be glowing now, his veins in stark relief against his skin, even through his clothes, seeming to pulse with clear blue light, the glow slowly starting to creep into his eyes.

His brother who suddenly looks nothing like the eccentric, annoying, lively, lovely, enthusiastic _Klaus_ Diego knows. Klaus who is always in constant motion, never silent, never still, always smiling, who is enthusiastic about everything in life, who wears his every emotion on his sleeve.

This Klaus is _different_ , his expression almost eerie in its stillness, his eyes burning with ice-cold fury, hell-fire wrath in his every breath.  

The air vibrates with Klaus’ power and the dead swarm around him, swarm his enemies, not even giving the six of them gathered behind Klaus a second glance, directing their fury at those who managed to garner Klaus’ wrath. 

It’s an army. An army at his brother’s command, the very earth beneath them trembling under the feet of the ghostly dead rising to follow Klaus’ call.

Diego averts his eyes from the gruesome sight of two ghostly women with slit throats returned to the physical world, tearing at one of the goons with their bare hands, hands mercilessly digging into flesh, yelling about murderers and rapists and to _please please help_ , desperation and wrath in one.

And the goons try to flee, scrambling from hiding places, fleeing the figures that haunt them - old and new - trying to escape the wrath of those dead at their hands and those not.

Some actually manage escape, but not all of them are quick enough.

Because the dead have no use for mercy. And apparently neither does Klaus.

It is over rather quickly. Within minutes there is simply no one left, the dead having outnumbered the living by at least ten to one, if not more.

Then, Klaus slumps, sighs, the dead easily, unprotestingly fading with his outwards breath, as though blown away by a simple gust of wind.

And when he then turns around to face them, he looks just as he always does. None of the anger remaining, no more fury in his eyes as he focuses on where Ben is leaning against the wall, make-shift bandage around his shoulder, nothing but gentle concern in Klaus’ expression now.

It's yet another lesson learned, yet another thing Diego was absolutely certain he knew about his brother turning out to be entirely false. Klaus might be the most emotional, the softest between them. But turns out, he clearly has no problem whatsoever controlling himself.

And Diego would call himself all kinds of a moron for missing something so obvious, for not realizing that Klaus’ colorful mask is simply just that, a mask, designed to distract from whatever is actually hiding beneath, that between all seven of them, Klaus might actually be the one who has them all very clearly beat in hiding himself away, keeping his temper in check. If only due to necessity. 

Diego would call himself an absolute idiot for never noticing. He would.

But he is simply still too stunned, like most of his other siblings left staring in the aftermath, speechless at the absolute destruction left behind by Klaus’ wrath, left in the wake of the literal army of wrathful dead tearing the world apart at Klaus’ command.

And he can’t help but think that he honestly could have done without the revelation that the only thing standing between them and the wrath of the dead is the fact that their brother is the gentlest, most soft-hearted person to ever walk the earth and the fact that Klaus – despite everything life has thrown at him – _somehow_ managed to stay that way.

His brother whose eyes are now barely open from exhaustion as he stumbles a few steps towards where they are all clustered together, lets himself drop right next to Ben, wrapping a hand around his upper arm as he looks him over. Ben, who only gives a reassuring – if somewhat pained – smile in response.

Because, of course, Ben wouldn't be bothered by what just happened.

Once more Diego can’t help but marvel at the bond between Ben and Klaus. Fifteen years of having no one but each other – Ben because he was lost in the land of the dead, and Klaus because no one in his life could be bothered to actually spare him so much as a thought – has his two brothers simply inseparable now.

And not just in the proverbial sense.

Where there is one, you will find the other. _BenandKlaus_. Inseparable.

And as they all look around the utterly destroyed room, the torn-apart bodies strewn everywhere, Diego can't help but think that, honestly, whoever laid this trap for them and then came up with the bright idea to specifically target the Horror without taking Klaus' immediate, wrathful revenge into account, kind of only has themselves to blame for this mess.

Another few more moments of silence. And then, an almost incredulous sounding laugh escapes Klaus, quickly joined by Ben’s quiet laughter, then Vanya’s giggle, Diego himself snorts in amusement, and by the end of it even Five is wearing something of a smirk, despite the surprise at what just happened still on all of their faces.

Well, then. Turns out they have yet another powerhouse amongst themselves.

And sure, Klaus’ power is freaky as all fuck and so so much more powerful than Diego had thought until now, and he still kind of doesn’t dare glancing behind himself, too afraid there might be any personal ghosts lingering in his shadow.

But then again, it’s not like Klaus is alone in the weirdness department. He's actually in rather excellent company.

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure how well this actually fits into the ‘verse of this series and I have no clue what Klaus' abilities are like in the comics, but I just really wanted to write a bamf!Klaus fic, so here you go :)
> 
> And I've marked the series as complete now because Diego's POV was the only one still missing, but I'll likely still add to this (since I still have at least one more fic idea I want to include in this). And I'm also trying to come up with something maybe a little more fluffy for the series... I'm absolutely open to suggestions if someone has an idea or a prompt to share (*^^*)
> 
> And as always, I would absolutely love to know what you think :D


End file.
